Working as a Web designer can be stressful. You have to get the site looking great using tools that are not always reliable to display in possibly hundreds of different browser and operating system combinations. Plus, most Web designers on a team have to design all the graphics, logos, and sometimes even branding for the website. And then you throw into that the Web developer.
Perhaps it's because their focus is so different, but Web designers and Web developers often don't get along as well as could be hoped. And while this article is titled What Web designers Hate About Web developers, it's not the white hot hate of pure rage, but more the tolerant animosity you might have towards, say, broccoli. But there are some things that designers do and say that drive Web developers up a wall.
Developers Are Too Negative
It sometimes seems like a Web developer's first answer to any request is "no" or "that's not possible". This can be especially annoying when you've found a website that does exactly what you want your site to do. Therefore, you know it's possible, so why are they saying no?
Often the reason a developer says no has less to do with the actual request and more to do with what they are currently expected to build. If they are working on a huge site redesign or even just a small database change, they might not have any time to do what you're asking for. Plus, a Web developer usually has to think about the site as a whole. So while it might be possible to add in the function you're asking for, it would be at the expense of something else.
If you can do it without being a pest, try to delve into the reasons for the "no." You might find out that it really was "not now" or even "I need to think about it."
They Don't Care About How the Site Looks
If you've got a specific font, color, or page layout that you want to place on the site, it can be really annoying when the developer simply slaps up a random font, color, or layout onto the page and calls it good. You worked hard to create the design that best represents the company and the content for that page, and when they ignore you it can be frustrating.
But what if they aren't ignoring you? Web designers are trained to notice small details that a developer might miss. The challenge you'll have is impressing upon them the importance of these small details. A customer might not know that the page looks off because it's 2 pixels too narrow, but subconciously they will notice, and this could negatively impact the site's brand.
Just remember that the developers do care about how the site looks, they just have a different focus than designers do when building it.
Not Every Problem Can Be Fixed with a Script
After you've worked with a Web developer or Web programmer for a while, you'll realize that they see the world in terms of programming. And because of this, they like to solve problems using their skills - writing programs. For instance, to improve site navigation, a Web developer might create a huge Flash rollover system with hundreds of drop-downs and options.
The Web designer needs to show how simple designs can solve problems just as well, if not better than complicated programs. One advantage that the Web designer has is that a new design can often be mocked up in a day or two, while a new program will often take a week or more to get started.
Close is Not Good Enough
When you create a design, you want everyone who sees it to see the same thing, but when you work with a Web developer, they build the design for one browser and then worry about the others. It can be really annoying when you open the page in two different browsers, and the overlay shows that they are different. Developers don't seem to care that IE is showing the page differently than Safari which is different from Firefox.
This is one scenario where you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from a developer, because the difficulty and time required to make a Web page look absolutely identical in every browser/OS combination makes it impossible. It might help if you think like a customer. Unless your site is targeting Web designers, chances are no one will ever view your page in a different browser than their standard. In other words, they will never realize that the headline is 15 pixels from the left in IE and 10 pixels from the left in Safari. You'll get a lot more support from a developer if you focus on the errors in the rendering of your design in a specific browser, without comparing that rendering to another browser.
Web Designers Can Be Annoying Too
Don't forget to read my related article What Web Developers Hate About Web Designers. And share your thoughts about both:
